What started as a small workshop in Antwerp in 1923 has developed into a world-leading industrial gear unit manufacturer. For 100 years, Hansen Industrial Transmissions NV (HIT) has operated at the forefront of power transmission technology and shaped the industry with its industrial gearbox solutions. Since 2011, the company, headquartered at a state-of-the-art facility in Edegem with 260 employees, has been part of Sumitomo Drive Technologies. HIT supplies industrial gearboxes to a wide range of industries such as extraction material handling, energy, environment, and specialist applications in key industries.

This year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) follows the theme of “embracing equity”—focusing on giving fair opportunities for everyone to succeed. As a business invested in its people, metal-cutting leader Sandvik Coromant highlights the experience of its president, Helen Blomqvist.

Sandvik Coromant, a cutting tool and tooling system specialist, has introduced a new method for turning complicated shapes and pockets with a single tool. Y-axis turning offers benefits such as reduced cycle time, improved component surface quality and more stable machining.

Forest City Gear, an industry-leading manufacturer of fine and medium pitch custom gears, is proud to announce the promotion of Zac Denny to Setup Technician. In this role, he will oversee setup and operation of the MZ130 and Koepfer 153 machines.

Croix Gear & Machining, recognized as a leader in the custom manufacturing of loose gears, announced the hiring of Michael J. Lindsay as President. Mr. Lindsay will assume responsibility for all manufacturing and business operations. Mr. Lindsay brings a proven track record for continual improvement in supply chain, scheduling, production, and quality to Croix Gear. 

Southern Gear has added two Hwacheon VT-1150+ Vertical Turning Centers to its gear production operations, both capable of high-speed, complete machining of ring gears and other cylindrical parts with diameters of 1,320 mm and lengths up to 950 mm. 

United Grinding North America is proud to announce its sponsorship of the Reshoring Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing good, well-paying manufacturing jobs back to the United States. They accomplish this by helping companies more accurately assess their total cost of manufacturing overseas and working to shift the collective thinking of management from "offshoring is cheaper" to "local reduces cost."

Forest City Gear recently completed and passed its annual AS9100/ISO 9001:2015 quality system audit. The third-party audit company, Quality Systems Registrar (QSR), evaluated Forest City Gear’s quality management systems to ensure compliance with AS and ISO standards. 

State of the Gear Industry Perspectives takes an in-depth look at the challenges and opportunities in gear manufacturing today and in the future. Our seventh installment online is an interview with Kika Young, president, and Jared Lyford, director of manufacturing operations at Forest City Gear (FCG).